The "Finnish" Swastika

Cross of Freedom

The Cross of Libery, a Finnish order, was founded in 1918. A renowned
artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela1 was commissioned by General C.G.
Mannerheim to design the Order's insignia. The insignia is a Cross
pattée overlayed by a short armed swastika.

1Known to vexillologists for its role in the design of the first
Karelian flags - António Martins-Tuválkin, 21 August 2007.

The Cross of Freedom is the oldest order in Finland and the President is its
Grand Master. The cross can be described as a yellow swastika on blue cross pattée,
in the center a yellow heraldic rose.

The basic design of the Cross of Liberty, the George Cross (croix pattée aux bords
rectilignes) seems to have been a natural choice. Its beautiful, symbolical plain
shape, connected well to ancient Finnish symbols, and the same type of cross was
also used in the two other Finnish Orders for Merit, the Finnish White Rose (1919)
and the Finnish Lion (1942).

The final shape of the Cross of Liberty came to consist of two crosses, one
superimposed on the other, the lower cross symbolising victory, and above it the
straight swastika symbolising sun's rays.

Source:Vapaudenristin ritarikunta - Isänmaan puolesta (The Order of the Cross
of Liberty - For Fatherland, published by the Order, printed in Porvoo, Finland
1997) - from chapter "English summary" on page 248 Ossi Raivio, 24 October 1998, 26 October 1998

President's Flag

Carr, in Flags of the World, 1961 [car61], p. 266,
writes about the President's Flag:

The President's Flag is like the naval ensign, but bears in the first
quarter what is best described as an heraldic "cross-pattée", in blue,
charged with a yellow "fylfot" or swastika-shaped cross, The Cross of
Freedom - Finland's most distinguished order.

Jarig Bakker, 18 August 2007

Use by the Finnish Air Force

The swastika of the Finnish Airforce was adopted when Swedish Count
Eric von Rosen donated the first aeroplane to the Finnish government,
adorned with his personal good luck symbol blue swastika.

The Finnish Air Force squadron flag was approved on
November 8, 1957, more than a decade after the end of World War II.Miles Li, 17 August 2007

The design appears in pre-World War II flag books and roundel charts, so the 1957
adoption restored the old design that pre-dated Hitler's rise to power. It took
a decade for resentment to die, I suspect, before they could go back to their
traditional emblem.Bill Dunning, 17 April 2007

Finnish Scouts

During the International Congress of Vexillology
meeting in Stockholm two Finnish members appeared in
scout's uniform, which prominently featured a swastika. There was a
squabble, during which the Finns said that they were not "Nazis", but
were unable to explain the significance of the swastika's. Mr. Laurli
died some years ago. He was a respected vexillologist, who took the
wisest course by removing the swastika. We owe it to him to explain in
full what this matter is about: ignorance. I mean: we respect swastika's
on houseflags (Iceland,
USA,
India), after establishing that it had
nothing to do with the Nazis, while we fail to fully explore the
significance of the swastika in the Finnish context.Jarig Bakker, 18 August 2007

In the dispute referred to by Jarig the decoration was a scout medal, again
the highest ranking one in Finland, if I understand correctly, which one of
the three bore.Jan Oskar Engine, 20 August 2007